Indicating device.



J. MOHN.

INDlfiATiNG DEVICE. APPLICATION FILED JAN-1?, 1916.

1,224,949. Patented May 8,1917.

may

JOHN MOI-IN, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

INDICATING nnvrcn.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 8, 1917.

Original application filed August 29, 1913, Serial No. 787,256. Dividedand this application filed January 17, 1916. Serial No. 72,398.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JOHN Moring a citi' zenofthe United States of America, residing at Detroit, in the county ofWayne and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Indicating Devices, of which the following is aspecification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This is a divisional application in connection with my application forpatent, filed Aug. 29, 1913, Serial No. 787,256 for certain improvementsin a safety trap for liquid dispensing apparatus. In the parentapplication there is shown and described a trap which has afloatactuated valve, and the present invention relates to a trap which willserve the same purposes without a float actuated valve, consequentlythere is a material reduction in the cost of manufacture, less parts toclean and assemble, and in practice the indicating device and trapforming the subject matter of this application has been found just aseflicient.

My invention will be better understood when reference is had to thedrawing and the detail description thereof, and in the drawing,

Figure 1 is an elevation of a beer dispensing apparatus provided with anindicating device and trap in accordance with my invention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the indicating device and trap, partlybroken away and partly in section, and

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of a check valve which may be used inconnection with the indicating device.

As illustrating a conventional form of beer dispensing apparatus, thereis shown a suitable receptacle, as a barrel 1, provided with the usualtap 2, tube 3, air inlet connection 4, and check valve 5 at saidconnection, said check valve being of the well known Thomas type. Theconnection 4: has a hose 6 in communication with an air distributingpipe 7 of a tank 8, said tank containing air under pressure. An ordinaryvalve 9 controls the supply of air to the barrel 1 and so long as thecheck valve 5 is in perfect working order beer can be dispensed in theusual way.

It very often happens however, thatthe check valve 5 becomes worn and isrendered inoperative, consequently beer or foam therefrom enters thehose 6 and often enters the tank 8 befouling all of the airlineconnections by reason of slime adhering to the walls of such conduits.The disadvantages and labor incurred by failure of the check valve 5 arewell known to dispensers of beer and other beverages and such conditionsor dinarily cannot be detected except by bad tasting beer rendered so bythe air under pressure impinging the slimy walls of the hose 6 and otherconnections.

To be able to immediately detect such con- I ditions and prevent beerfrom entering the distributing pipe 7 of the tank 8 is the principalobject of my invention, which is attained by installing an indicatingdevice and trap adjacent the valve 9. The indicating device and trapcomprises a base 10 rigidly supported by the valve 9 and having a port11 in communication with said valve. The port 11 is also incommunication with an upright air outlet pipe 12 having a conventionalform of ball check valve 13 at the upper end thereof. In lieu of thisball check valve a flap check valve 14, shown in Fig. 3, may be used.

The base 10 has another port 15 in communication with the hose 6 andsaid port is also in communication with a central upright tube 16carried by the base 11. The upper end of the tube 16 has alateralopening 17 anda cap 18.

Suitably mounted upon the base 10 is a cylinder or casing 19, preferablymade of a piece of glass tube. The cylinder 19has the upper end thereofclosed by a cap 20 held in place by a clamping screw 21 forming part ofa yoke 22 pivotally held by diametrically opposed sides of the base 10.

The base 10 has a displacement boss 23 within the. cylinder or casing 19and the bot tom of said base has a connection 2 1 for a drain cock 25,said drain cock being in com munication with the cylinder or casing 19whereby beer or liquid may be drained from off of the base when cleaningthe device.

Any defect in connection with the check valve 5 by which beer or otherliquid is not excluded from the connection 4E allows beer to enter thehose 6 and eventually back up in the tube 16, pass through the opening17 and accumulate in the bottom of the cylinder or casing 19, where itcan be seen to indicate that there is an imperfection in connection Withthe check valy e 5. It is then the duty of the attendant of the beerdispensing apparatus to thoroughly clean all connections between thebarrel 1 and the valve 9 before tapping another barrel of beer. A smallquantity of beer entering the indicating dedevice does not, however,interfere with dispensing the contents of the barrel, as the check valve13 allows air from the tank 8 to enter the cylinder or casing 19, passthrough the opening 17 and the tube 16 to the hose 6 and serve itspurpose upon the beer within the barrel 1 until the barrel is empty. Thecheck valve 13 is principally used to prevent beer from entering thepipe 12, valve 9, distributing pipe 7 and the tank 8. Sometimes, whentapping a fresh barrel of beer the pressure of gas on the beer withinthe barrel is so great as to force beer through the check valve that isin the least way defec tive and if it were not for the emergency checkvalve 13, the beer might go as far as the tank 8 and cause no end oftrouble when cleaning the apparatus.

Since the yoke 22 can be swung to one side, the cap 20 removed, and thenthe cylinder or casing 19, easy access can be had to each and every partof the beer dispensing apparatus and thoroughly cleansed. During suchoperation the valve 9 isclosed to preserve air in the tank 8.

From the foregoing it will be observed that I have devised novel meansfor deteeting imperfections in the ordinary valve associated with a beertap, and While such imperfections may be indicated, still the dispensingof beer may be continued until the package containing the same is empty.

- lVhatl claim is:

A combined indicating device and trap for liquid dispensing apparatus,comprising a base having ports therein one of which is adapted toreceive air and the other of which is adapted to discharge air, atransparent casing on said base, a cap on said casing, a yoke carried bysaid base and extending over said cap, clamping means carried by saidyoke for holding said cap on said casing, a pipe in said casingco1nmunieating With the air inlet port of said base, a check valvecarried by said pipe, and an apertured tube in said casing in communication with the air outlet port of said base.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

' JQHN MOI-IN. Witnesses:

ANNA M. Done, KARL H. BUTLER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, D. G,

